Feature Stories
Solutions for the NBA’s Ignite Issue
It has been well-documented that this season for the G League Ignite has been a failure. What’s more up for debate is the efficacy of the entire program relative to prospects getting drafted and having success once they make it to the NBA. Viewpoints ranging from “blow the whole thing up” to “don’t change a thing” are a…
BAL Season 4 Preview: Kalahari Conference
The fourth edition of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) tips off this weekend — in a few hours to be exact — with the Kalahari Conference hosted in Pretoria, South Africa from March 9-17. This first leg features two newcomers to BAL competition along with the hosts and a classic African powerhouse. All clubs in the BAL qualify by first becoming champio…
Jonathan Kuminga Was Always a Sleeping Giant
Top picks flaming out early is far from a new concept. Every so often, high draft picks don’t return the production the outside world anticipated. And everyone loves to pile on when there is a “bust.” Busts are disappointing but a common occurrence — some players get put in the wrong situation, others get injure…
Ranking the NBA’s Top 25 African Players
With the 2023–24 NBA Preseason in the books, it’s time to take a look at the top 25 African players in the league, ranked in order ahead of Opening Night. When considering qualifying candidates, not only did I look at guys who were born on the continent, but also included those whose parents are from countries in Africa. Last season’s production was take…
The LNB’s Missed Opportunity to Save French Basketball
In 2022, the NBA negotiated a deal with la Ligue Nationale de Basket (LNB), the French basketball league, for the rights to broadcast their top division, Betclic Élite, on NBATV in the United States and throughout the world. The timing of the deal coincided directly with the mounting hype around all-time French prospect, Victor Wembanyam…
Africa’s Best On Display at the FIBA World Cup
This year’s FIBA World Cup gave us revelation after revelation, regardless of the well-publicized absences from the event. We learned that France might not be the juggernaut they were thought to be. Latvia and Arturs Zagars made impressive World Cup debuts
3 Reasons South Sudan Can Advance at the FIBA Basketball World Cup
Recent FIBA World Cup history hasn’t been kind to African teams. In the past ten years, the highest finish from an African team was when Angola and Nigeria tied for ninth place along with six other countries in 2006. If you swear by FIBA world rankings
Headstrong: My Pro Basketball Beginnings
Commonwealth Games, Townsville, Australia (Dr. Peter Simmons) I’m not supposed to be here. I wasn’t born to be an athlete; I don’t run incredibly fast or jump abnormally high. Even though I have family who has played sports at a high enough level, my parents didn’t intentionally steer me to pursue athletic greatness my whole life. It’s not common to make…